On 15 April, Vogue Business hosted a private dinner in Paris in partnership with Certilogo, the end-to-end digital product passport (DPP) specialist acquired by Ebay in 2023. The dinner, which welcomed over 20 digital leaders across brands including Chanel, Givenchy, Maje, Balenciaga and Ganni, was hosted at the iconic La Fontaine Gaillon restaurant in the second arrondissement.
Following a champagne reception, guests gathered to hear from Vogue Business head of advisory and custom insights Anusha Couttigane, who kick-started the evening by sharing insights from the latest Vogue Business Index. The 10th edition of this flagship study, which ranks the top 60 global luxury fashion brands, uncovered that the adoption of DPPs now sits at 67 per cent. With the European Union’s DPP legislation mandating greater transparency on product provenance, environmental impact and supply chain information, this figure is quickly rising. But while this widespread change is a key initiative for brands, the impact on consumer experience still widely varies, with consumer awareness of DPPs still limited.
For luxury brands, the requirement to provide DPPs is becoming a given. However, ensuring this is delivered in a meaningful way that elevates customer service remains a quandary for many. Michele Zuccheri, head of business development at Certilogo, explained how the company delivers relevant information in an educational and entertaining way to shoppers through its engaging, interactive platform. The Certilogo ecosystem also builds in circularity as a service, helping to integrate resale and elevate the brand experience through storytelling and personalised engagement. This bridges the divide that is often experienced by shoppers when implementing DPPs. By creating additional brand touchpoints during and post-sale, Certilogo prompts more sustainable behaviour from customers when they make their purchases in the primary market, encouraging them to think about the full life cycle of the luxury goods they are investing in.
The dinner generated lively debate around meaningful approaches to circularity, as well as the challenges brands are facing. Technology is helping newer and smaller brands leapfrog stages of development to provide sophisticated ways of communicating transparently to consumers. For larger legacy brands, the conversation leaned into increasing price sensitivity and greater scrutiny over matters like sourcing practices and product quality, which means even the most reputable brands are having to find fresh, creative ways of engaging shoppers with the sustainable transformation of their businesses.
The event came at a critical moment in Certilogo’s growth story. With its Secure by Design™ authentication solution, the business is able to offer buyers and sellers in the resale market peace of mind by bringing deep knowledge of counterfeiting practices, helping to intercept fakes and boost confidence in pre-loved luxury. Since its inception in 2006, the company has already enhanced 570 million products worldwide via its secure digital IDs. Partnerships play a key role in the rapid expansion of the business. (The company already works with several leading brands including Giorgio Armani, Diesel, Stone Island.) Most recently, Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, the Italian fashion council, renewed its partnership with Certilogo for a third year.
For brands, the power of having a trusted DPP ecosystem is not just in being able to meet legal requirements, but in accessing greater supply chain transparency. It lies in being able to unlock greater value by protecting the business against fraud and counterfeits and having visibility of products entering the secondary market, as well as the customers involved, helping to broker relationships with new brand enthusiasts who are mainly engaging with brands in the secondary market. Ultimately, Zuccheri says, the Certilogo Secure by Design™ approach to authentication and security is key to fostering greater trust, confidence and transparency in an often volatile and opaque market.
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